Wushu artists clinch two gold at SEA Games

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese wushu artists won two gold medals in the wushu event at the ongoing Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia on Sunday (August 21).

Dương Thị Thúy Vi scored 9.67 points to win the gold medal in the women’s jianshu (sword routine) category being held at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, edging Malaysia’s Eyin Phoon, who had to settle for the silver after scoring 9.63 points.

Singapore’s Hui Xin Fing came in third with a score of 9.60 to take the bronze.

This was the first gold medal for the Việt Nam delegation in the games this year, following the three silver and one bronze won in the previous days.

At the games in Myanmar in 2013, Vi had taken home the first gold medal in the women’s jianshu.

This is also the third consecutive SEA Games gold medal for Vi in her field, following her championship title at the games in 2013 and 2015. The 24-year-old martial artiste had also won gold medals in the Asian Games and the world championship.

After a few minutes, the winning streak continued, when Vi’s teammate Hoàng Thị Phương Giang took home the second gold for Việt Nam in the women’s gunshu event with 9.64 points.

Loh Ying Ting of the hosts came second with 0.01 point less than Giang.

Giang said she wanted to dedicate the medal to her father, who had died a year ago.

“I am very happy to win the gold medal. I want to give it to my father. He was a tremendous source of support for me,” Giang said.

In other news, archer Chu Đức Anh won a gold medal in the men’s individual recurve event.

Anh beat Khairul Anuar Mohamad of Malaysia 6-2 in the final to take the lead.

Two years ago, the Quảng Ninh athlete won a bronze in the same category with a timing of 3:07.14s, four minutes behind Thai gold medallist Natthaya Thanawonnarat (3:3.25).

In the men’s event, Vietnamese hopefuls Bùi Thế Anh and Vũ Văn Sơn failed to finish in the top three.

Dương Đức Thủy, head of the athletics section of the National Sports Administration, said Thanh had bettered her achievement with a silver this year comnpared to the bronze medal earned in the games two years ago. — VNS